Finding balance in his life had become one of Artorias' greatest challenges. Between leading the Hallows, getting Briar and Lia settled into the pack, dealing with Sparrow and Artisan's release, his exploration of Auster, and still making time for Briar and Bowen, the Aegis found a disturbing lack of hours in the day. He never forgot the conversation he had with his beloved sister in the waterfall cave not long ago though, and how she'd confessed her worries and emotions, looking to him for help. He'd sworn he'd make time for her, just for her, where they could do things together and be together, and he intended to keep his word to its fullest. Artorias wanted to explore the world, see sights few others had ever seen, and he wanted to do it all with his partner in crime. Ever since they were pups, Art and Bowen had explored and adventured together, and now they would get the chance to again.

Artorias stole Bowen away for himself early in the day, preparing a special breakfast for them in the castle before leading her up into the southern part of Boreas. He'd heard rumors of hidden treasures and riches in an old shipwreck within a cave off of the Obsidian Shore and couldn't think of a more perfect adventure for the two Carpathians to take together. They spent the morning traveling north, Art offering to let Bowen ride on his back if she so desired while they walked and ran and bounded across the territories together. Leading the way up the Boreal shoreline until they reached familiar black sands, Artorias was surprised to find a pack's scent markers on the beach—the unmistakable smell of the pirates in the air. He shot Bowen a daring look, one eyebrow raised in wily suggestion. "Think they're home?" he asked with a crooked grin, then slipped by towards the mouth of the massive cave. No one was in sight; they must have all been off doing more fun things.

Still doing his best to not draw any attention lest they weren't actually alone, Artorias walked into the cave, peering around the dimly lit cavern at the supplies the pirates had around and ultimately disregarding them as he led the way deeper into the cave in search of the mysterious shipwreck he'd been promised existed further in. Every so often he would pause to steal a glance at his little sister, giving her a gentle, loving smile and warm fiery eyes. "How have you been feeling, Bo?" he asked, partially after what she'd told him at the falls, partially because he knew this was her first heat season as well and would no doubt be challenging for her in its own way given her past and her condition. He needed to make sure she was all right and being taken care of properly—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. It was hard knowing that no matter what he would never fully be enough for her, but he did his best for her all the same because he loved her.

As they moved deeper into the cavern, the dark walls of stone slowly began to show growths of crystals and geodes, shimmering as they jutted from the ceiling and walls. Artorias gazed around in awe at the splendor, slowing his gait to take in the incredible sights with Bowen. "Supposedly this shipwreck is surrounded by these crystals, or so that traveler told me. We must be getting close."

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Times like these when it was just the two of them, those were the times that Bowen looked forward to. As they made their way to the cavern, the woman stole little affections here and there. More than once she was ready to just throw Artorias down in the grass and have her way with him. She refrained, however, opting to hold off until they reached their destination. It was a little habit of theirs to christen the places that they explored together in one way or another. She definitely planned to christen their next destination.

Artorias had chosen the place that they would explore and Bowen didn't argue. She was more than happy to follow him anywhere. The place that he spoke of was some great ship and Bo wondered how it would compare to the ship that she served on not all that long ago. It still amazed her just how much had happened in her short life. I the grand scheme of things, she hadn't been back in the world that long. That made her time with Artorias all the more precious to the russet and cream woman.

When they arrived at the cavern, the scent of pack was in the air, but it wasn't thick and it wasn't fresh. Bowen wondered if anyone actually lived there at all. Art's words made her think differently, however. She gave a small hmm and stepped close, sliding her cheek across his shoulder. "If they are, they should learn a thing or two about border marking." With that, both of the continued into the cave, being quiet, lest they be discovered. An easy feat for Bowen. Not as easy for a big lug like Artorias, but he did well.

Art's words met caramel ears which instantly slicked backwards a bit. It was a simple enough question outright, but she knew what lay underneath. The real question. "I've been getting by," she spoke softly. Many days and nights were spent pressed beneath Haiku's big, chocolate form. His stamina couldn't keep up with her heated libido, however. No ones could. There was always that itch just beneath her skin and being in heat only made it worse. It was difficult to even leave her room. She was the one that had to deal with her problems. No one else could even understand them. How could she make someone understand that, some days her heat was so bad, that she was ready to sleep with anyone that crossed her path? The woman had experienced lecherous thoughts about all manner of Hallows wolves. Sota, Briar, Kane, Emile... Then she just hightailed it back to her room before her hormones talked her into seducing them.

Heat filled Bowen's cheeks and stomach as the thoughts of ravaging her packmates entered her mind once again. Biting her tender lower lip, she shook her head and pushed the thoughts away. As she fought to focus on anything else other than her thoughts, she noticed the glowing crystals that had begun to form on the walls. An ear swiveled towards Art as he spoke, her eyes still on the crystals. "Let's keep going then." Pulling away from him, the little explorer moved ahead into the cave. The crystals became more prevalent with each step.

"Bowen" | "Carpathian"

As they walked deeper into the cavern, Bowen answered his question about how she'd been doing in as diplomatic a way he could imagine. She'd been getting by. Artorias' lips pulled down in a small frown which he turned away to hide from Bowen under the guise of inspecting some crystals. "I know," he murmured softly, though whether it was a response to her or just him speaking his inner thoughts aloud was unclear. He knew Bowen had been struggling now more than ever. More than once he'd gone to find her to see if she needed him or wanted to spend time together, only to hear her cries of passion from within her room and know she was mating with Haiku. He didn't speak his feelings aloud, especially not the envy it roused within him whenever he heard the two wolves. He knew the deal they'd made to allow their relationship to culminate into what it was. Many a night Artorias had laid awake staring at the ceiling of his room, thinking about Bowen, trying not to think about Haiku. He told himself to be grateful for what he had, but just as Bowen was a jealous sibling, so too it seemed that envy ran in Artorias.

Try as he might, Artorias felt painfully guilty for not being able to give Bowen all the attention she deserved and needed. He didn't know the extent to which her condition had worsened, or the lecherous thoughts she'd had of all the wolves she passed in the Hallows. He would never know and that bothered him the most. That he couldn't understand what Bowen was feeling so he couldn't ever know how to help her or cure her—if there even was a cure. Artorias would have done anything for Bowen. If she'd told him the cure was to make love to her and never stop, he would have had her until they drew their last breaths. As it was, he felt useless, chasing after temporary reliefs for symptoms he only seemed to find too late. He hated it, hated feeling like he couldn't help the wolf he loved, that he had to be forced to watch while she suffered and find her relief beneath the body of another—or others.

Bowen interrupted his thoughts when she insisted they keep going, pulling ahead of him and leaving him with one of his personal favorite sights of her shapely hips swaying with each step she took. Artorias swallowed hard, biting his lip while he resisted the urge to pounce on her and have his way with her there and then. The scent of her heat was damned near impossible to ignore on its own right in the confines of the cavern, but the visual element of Bowen nearly had him groaning with need. He forced himself to resist, at least long enough for the two lovers to get to their destination first. Then they could set to ravaging each other as many times as they desired. Forcing his fiery eyes back up, Artorias noticed the crystals had now become the majority of the cavern's walls and ceiling. There were so many of them all over the place, all reflecting the light from the cavern entrance to illuminate the way the deeper they went.

Then, as they rounded a corner, Artorias saw what they had been looking for. Nestled in the back of the cavern up against a wall of solid crystal sat an old pirate ship in near perfect condition. Intricate and orange detailing had been carved into the woodwork on the sides of the ship, its hull almost perfect save for spots where crystals had grown up its sides and penetrated through the wood. The tattered sails hung limp and lifeless, and from the top of the mast, a decaying Jolly Roger flapped weakly without any breeze to bring it to life. "De către zei..." muttered the dire brute as he gazed up at the massive ship in awe. "Is this like what you sailed on? It's huge!" He turned his fire opal eyes back to Bowen in curiosity, only looking away again to spot a gangplank that had been propped up on some crystals to allow them to climb up to the deck of the ship and board it. "I think we can get up over here," he said to Bowen, nudging her gently with a hip before leading the way over to the plank and making his way cautiously up first to make sure it was safe.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

The hall to the cavern finally gave way to open space. Light from a circular hole up above illuminated the space, bouncing off of the crystals like a million tiny lights. Bowen's maw parted slightly as she released a soft gasp of awe. This place... was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever laid eyes upon. A fitting grave for a ship that must have once been so fine. Padding quietly towards the ship, Bowen's newly grown tail snaked across the stone ground behind her like a cream and caramel bridal train.

Taking a path through the glittering pieces of glass, the pair of wolves were soon at the ship. The sound of awe from Artorias brought soft, bell like laughter from the small fae. He questioned her and Bowen gave a small shake of her head. "Triple mast is closer to a square rig," she explained. "The crew that I was a part of sailed a sloop." Despite having been stolen from her family, it was obvious simply by the way that she spoke and the expressions on her delicate features that she had loved every minute of being at sea. "This is built to hold a larger crew and to hold treasure and plunder. The ship that I sailed was built for cutting through water and outrunning the fastest of ships."

Lifting one sable paw, Bowen hesitated for a moment, then placed it down upon the gangplank. Her claws bit into the old wood for a second and she released a breath that she wasn't aware she'd been holding. The other paw followed suit and soon she was moving upwards and onto the main deck of the ship.

The crystals had pierced the hull, protruding even from the decking beneath her paws. The whole of the ship was still in fairly good shape from what she could see, however. The wood felt sturdy underfoot. Even the paint and sails still held their color. Reliving the past, it was as though Artorias was momentarily forgotten. She could almost feel the salt wind combing through her fur and the woman's chin tilted upwards, emerald eyes drifting closed for a moment.

Though her eyes were closed, tears began to pool at the corners. "I miss it," she whispered. "I miss it so much." The sea held the woman's heart like no man ever would. Being here on the old, crystal ridden ship... it reminded her of what she had once been, but would never be again.

"Bowen" | "Carpathian"

Admittedly, Artorias didn't know the first thing about ships. He'd never actually seen a proper one before this moment. Bowen, on the other hand, was showing just how much of a seafarer she was deep down. The musical laugh when he asked if this was like the ship she'd been on seemed to echo around the cavern like a beautiful chorus, and Artorias found his gaze upon his diminutive sister's smiling face, seeing the way it lit up while she took in the marvelous sight of the intact vessel before them. She said words he didn't understand a single meaning of, but thankfully she began to explain in layman's terms the differences between her pirate experience and what they were looking at right now. Artorias gave a pensive hum of thought while he looked over the large ship again. So Bowen's ship had been smaller, sleeker. He supposed that made sense for slavers who only carried a small amount of cargo and valued speed and agility over capacity or intimidation.

Artorias climbed the gangplank and arrived on the main deck of the ship, gazing around at how vast it was. It could easily hold several dozen wolves on the one deck alone! "Wow..." he murmured mostly to himself, turning to speak to Bowen again—and realizing she wasn't beside him. Confused, the brute peered back down the gangplank and saw his sable-colored sister hesitating at the bottom. He was a second away from asking if she was all right before she began to climb the plank and join him up on the deck. Bowen's entire demeanor had shifted suddenly—melancholic and ruminating. He saw his sister's distant emerald eyes slowly close and all of a sudden it was like she wasn't there anymore. Brow furrowing with worry, Artorias took a step closer to her. "Bowen...?"

Bowen responded by saying how she missed her life at sea. The emotion in her voice broke Artorias' heart, and the dire brute finished closing the gap between himself and his sister so he could reach down to nuzzle her crown tenderly. He'd known how much she had loved living at sea, but it hadn't really struck him just how much this affected her. Silently, Artorias began to wonder if anyone in Boreas or Auster would know how to build a basic sloop or know where he could procure one, just to give Bowen some of that freedom she'd once had back. It killed him to see his beloved sibling pining for the sea as badly as she was and knowing he could do nothing to help fix it. "Maybe you don't have to," he spoke softly. "Those slavers found a ship. We could find you a ship too. If that's what you want, I'll do my best to make it happen." Bowen was worth it. Bowen was worth all the effort in the world.

Slipping away from Bowen momentarily, Artorias made his way leisurely across the deck of the old ship. The wood creaked under his weight, but remained solid and strong. He moved up to the helm up some old stairs, eyeing the wheel with curiosity. What sorts of creatures would be able to create and control such machinery as complex as this? After investigating the empty helm area, Art headed back down to rejoin Bowen, noticing the doorway underneath the helm that led to stairs heading down into the belly of the ship. "Wanna see what's below deck?" he offered, allowing Bowen the glory of first exploration with a wave of his paw.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Artorias touched the woman and she flinched at first, being pulled back from the sea of memories within her. Glassy, emerald eyes opened and she leaned into the obsidian and azure man, sliding her muzzle under his chin. He couldn't completely understand, but acknowledging the emotions that the situation brought was enough.

The offer to procure a ship for her brought a soft laugh and the woman stood on tiptoe to place a sweet kiss upon her brother's chin. Her voice was soft and there was a tinge of sadness, but even more than that, there was resolve. "You either live on land or on the sea." Sitting on her haunches, the slender fae brought a sable colored paw to either side of the man's  cobalt cheeks. "I fought so hard to come home and home is where I'll remain." One soft padded paw stroked gently across the shorter fur of Artorias' cheek. "With you," she whispered softly. No matter how much she loved the sea, she wouldn't trade it for her brother's love. Though her heart would always have a hole, never seeing him again... it wasn't an option.

The pull of the ship had the lovers parting once more. As Artorias went to inspect the helm upon the sterncastle, Bowen padded up a few steps to inspect the forecastle, leaning out over the with one paw on the bowstrip as support. The crystals were everywhere and she could see them penetrating through the body of the ship. They would have to be careful when they went below deck.

The voice of her brother pulled the woman's attention back from the crystals and she turned to look at him and nodded in response to his question. A natural lightness to her step, Bo leaped over the rail, landing solidly on the deck beside Artorias. Lifting one paw, she pushed open the wooden door and fearlessly moved inside. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Though it wasn't pitch black, it was significantly darker than the cavern outside. Moving through, the pair explored the Mates quarter, the galley, a space that looked as though it may have been an infirmary. The deepest level of the ship was difficult to traverse as so many crystals had pushed their way through, making themselves at home. "The brig would have been down here. Storage too."

Skirting up the winding stairwell, Bowen led Artorias to one final room. Her flowing tail pulled along his hip as she pushed open the door to the captains quarters. "The captains quarters are generally always in the same place," she explained. The room itself was large and though time had taken its toll, it had clearly once been richly decorated. Moving into the center of the room, Bowen hesitated for a moment, then turned to fix her viridian gaze upon Artorias. "Artorias," the diminutive fae whispered his name. "I need something from you."

Bowen had spent a great deal of time in the captains quarters and it wasn't exactly spent discussing navigation and the direction of the wind, if you caught her drift. Though those times had once been terrifying, she looked upon them now with a sort of nostalgic fondness. Remembering the lustful moments brought a shudder racing up Bowen's spine and she gave a soft gasp as her shining coat lifted away from her skin momentarily. The woman's eyes opened once more and there was a darkness to them now. Green pools glazed over with lust. Lust that only Artorias could slake.

Slowly she began to move towards him, a predatory look in her eye. "I want you to take me here," she began, her voice rich and low. "I want you to take me harder than you ever have before." Already she could feel a wetness pooling within her. Anticipation and the knowledge that he wouldn't dare deny her... it was a heady thing. Stopping before him, Bowen raised her muzzle, almost touching the man, but not quite. Her muzzle trailed up the side of his neck, her mouth hovering just over the side of his throat. "I want you to be rough," she purred, her breath ruffling azure fur. "I want it to hurt." Maw parting, Bowen ran her tongue over the pulse in her brother's throat, gently, sweetly. Then she bit him, sinking her sharp little teeth into his flesh enough to hurt and possibly enough to draw a bit of blood if he decided to pull away.

Before Artorias could react to the woman's little attack, she was skittering backwards, tossing her pack onto the floor. Bowen was tense and alert, not sure exactly how he would react, but ready for anything. Russet ears flicked forward and she practically pleaded, "Te rog, frate. Fă asta pentru mine."

"Bowen" | "Carpathian"

The little chime of laughter Artorias pulled from Bowen when he offered to find her a ship immediately lifted the brute's mood, and when Bowen rose to grace his chin with a kiss, he knew he'd made the right effort, at least. She gently declined his offer, explaining that she could only ever belong to the land or sea, and that she chose to remain with him. He easily leaned into Bowen's petite paw when she stroked cheek, staring at her with such love in his eyes for the caramel and cream fae that had his heart. He would never know how she pined for the life she'd loved and left behind, but he could forever appreciate the sacrifice she made for him and their family as a whole.

When he called Bowen over to head below deck, he watched as his sister performed a graceful leap over the railing, raising an impressed brow before following her down the winding wood staircase to explore the lower decks of the ship. Bowen led him with practiced and nimble paws through the crew quarters, then the galley, then past steerage, pointing out everything as they passed and explaining it to him along the way. He was fascinated by all the things Bowen knew about the ship and sailing. He listened with rapt attention, drinking in all the details. He made a mental note to go back through storage to see if they could find any useful supplies or treasures to bring back with them to the Hallows. After all, the pirates weren't guarding them. Their fault for making it so easy, really.

Bowen turned and led her way up another winding staircase with a pull of her long, silken tail against his hip that sent a delightful shiver up Artorias' back, a sly smirk creeping its way across his face. He followed his sultry sister up the stairs into the captain's quarters, marveling at the spacious room as Bowen explained how she knew where it was. Though dusty and faded, the room still maintained an air of lavishness the captain had afforded themselves once upon a time. Old furniture filled the space of the room, and against the far wall lay a massive canopy bed. Artorias' fiery eyes trailed over everything while he took in the sights around him, marveling at it all. It was then that he realized Bowen's guided tour had come to an end, and when he looked back to her, he found his lover's smoldering emerald eyes gazing at him with a desperate need. She whispered his name, a purring call that sparked the endless fire within his belly, then explained she needed something from him. "Anything," he replied almost immediately, even before she told him what it was she needed. No matter what it was, he would give it to her if he could.

The request that came from the voluptuous russet fae as she approached him with a predatory gleam in her verdant eyes made Artorias' heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat. He didn't know what was playing in Bowen's mind, but whatever it was, it had awoken something primal within her. Bowen looked positively ravenous for him. In the confines of the captain's quarters, her intoxicating scent of heat began to fill the room like a pheromone-laced perfume, triggering something carnal in his brain and rousing his baser instincts. He'd never seen Bowen in such a state before, but now that he had, he only ever wanted her to look at him this way. His tail began swaying in a leisurely wag in time to his pounding heart, evidence of how her heated cajoling was affecting him growing hard beneath him the closer she sauntered to him, the enticing sway of her shapely hips hypnotizing him.

Then she stood before him, and the dire brute gazed down at the dainty, petite fae in a way he'd never looked at her before. She smelled delicious, and Artorias was starving. She leaned up until her muzzle was brushing the side of his neck, adding a stutter to his breath. Bowen had learned that his throat was a major erogenous zone, it seemed, as she whispered her desires for him to be rough with her against the thin blue fur there, telling him to make it hurt. Not asking—demanding. The next thing Artorias felt was Bowen's warm, wet tongue as it rolled over his throat, following the path of his thrumming pulse as she drew breathy gasps and heated exhales from the brute. Just as she knew his weaknesses, he knew hers, particularly her love for the sounds she pulled from him. So Artorias held nothing back, letting every shaking breath fall from his lips while her tongue teased his throat. Obsidian eyelids slowly fluttered over lust-glazed amber eyes, savoring the sensations that were slowly winding up the spring in his core.

And then he felt the sharp sting as Bowen's fangs pierced his skin. Artorias gasped sharply and growled in pained surprise, the sudden rush of pain blending with the lazy pleasure he'd just been enjoying to create a heady mixture in his brain. Artorias did pull back on reflex, tugging Bowen's teeth against his skin enough to tear it and draw thin rivulets of blood, but not causing any real damage. His citrine eyes flared to life with a dark, lecherous fire as he watched her skitter away to toss her bag aside, looking back to him almost in a frenzy while she begged him one last time in their tongue. Bowen had awoken something inside Artorias—something he hadn't felt since that night in Fenmyre. His fur bristled as he let primal instinct take over. The lust, the hunger, Bowen's scent flooding his nares, it all overpowered the brute. He was no longer Artorias and she was no longer Bowen. He was an alpha brute and she was his fae, ready to be bred and begging him to cut loose. So he did.

With a lustful snarl, Artorias stormed across the room with heavy footfalls until he towered over Bowen, reaching down with a strong foreleg to scoop her up around her slim midsection as if she weighed nothing. The azure-furred brute then deposited her roughly upon the nearest surface to them—a table with a map laid out on it—and surrounded Bowen with his form while he braced himself on either side of her with large paws. Artorias wasted no time in capturing his sister's mouth with his own, claiming her muzzle in a deeply passionate kiss while he slid his tongue into her maw, tasting her sweet flavor and staking his claim over her. She was his, now and always. While he dominated her mouth with his tongue, one massive paw grabbed her by her rump, pulling her to the edge of the table so he could line his hips up with hers. His claws bit into the flesh of one hip, holding her steady while he braced himself on the table. Their kiss broke, a thin strand of silver hanging between their lips while he gasped for breath—but didn't take her just yet. No, she had bitten him, and he had to return the favor.

Snatching up Bowen's curvy rump in his paws, Artorias flipped her roughly on the table, leaving her back legs hanging off the edge while the rest of her was pinned to its surface by his tremendous body. He pulled her long silken tail aside before hooking one paw around her hipbone, pressing his hips into hers until he felt her heat against him, but not entering her just yet. Artorias teased Bowen with himself, slamming one giant paw beside her head and clawing through the map and into the table's surface. Then he leaned his muzzle down to nuzzle slowly through her scruff, drinking in her scent like a predator savoring his kill. Deep, hungry growls rumbled in the man's chest and throat all the while until he brought his muzzle up to her ear, nipping at the tender skin before whispering in husky baritones, "Esti al meu, Bowen."

Then Artorias parted his jaws and bit down on Bowen's scruff, letting his sharper teeth and stronger jaws do their work holding her down while they sank into her skin. In the same motion, Artorias pushed his hips into hers until he slid home, muffled snarls against her neck slipping from him while fire-kissed eyes rolled back in his head. Bowen had asked him for something, and he would deliver. He would have her as he pleased, unleashed and unrestrained. He would make her squirm and writhe and moan and scream. Not just this one time, but as many times as it took for their lusts to be fully slaked. By the time both Carpathians were spent, he expected he'd be carrying Bowen back to the Hallows in a messy, satisfied heap.

- fade -

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Bowen's verdant gaze was wild as she begged Artorias to take her to places where they'd never been together. She wanted to show him what she liked and indulge in her secretive bedroom habits. These were things that she could never ask of Haiku. The man was so sweet. A good lover, but too caring for the acts that Bowen had in mind. She doubted that he could bring her the pain that she desired, but she knew that Artorias could. She knew that he would. There was very little that Artorias would deny her, and none of those things took place in the bedroom.

After she'd bitten into him, coming away with his blood on her pale pink lips and tongue, there was a feverish look in the fae's eyes. Her actions had succeeded in riling her brother up. The sudden shift from languid lover to enraged, sexual beast was intense for both of them. The same wildness that was in Bowen's gaze had taken hold of the golden eyes of Artorias. It did things to her that Bowen hadn't felt in a long, long while. Her insides turned into molten lava and her maw parted as a shuddering gasp pulled from her. The woman was frantic with need and every second that he wasn't touching her was heightening that feeling. By the time he was stalking towards her, an involuntary whine was pulling from Bowen's throat.

Like a feather, Artorias snatched the small woman up, slamming her down on a nearby table. The giant man pressed his weight down upon her, eliciting a small whine from the caramel and cream lady before claiming her mouth with his own. Small paws shot up to quickly wrap around his neck, pulling his mouth more tightly against her own. When his paw grabbed her ass and pulled her against him, Bowen gasped into their kiss, the anticipation of their joining almost enough to make her scream. Her tail lashed back and forth between his legs and she willed him to sink home, but he denied her.

The denial incensed Bowen and she was prepared to sink her teeth into him again when he threw her onto her stomach like a ragdoll. The rust and snow fae gasped as some of the wind was knocked out of her, but she practically hissed with pleasure when his hips pressed into hers again. "Do it," she growled, helping him move her tail out of the way so he would be unobstructed. A mighty paw slammed down onto the table beside her, slicing through the old map and the wood beneath and Bowen could feel her heartbeat thrum all through her body, collecting and thumping hard in her heated lower bits. The things that he was doing to her... Did he even realize?

Artorias brought his maw close to her ear, giving her a nip. She fought to press her hips back into his, but his wide chest held her firmly against the table. She was completely at his mercy and knowing that thrilled her even more. He owned her at this moment. There was nothing that she could do unless he allowed her to do it. Artorias had complete power over her body and the pleasure that he could bring or deny. Again, Bowen was close to screaming. Being in heat made everything so much more intense and her need for him was pushing her into manic territory.

And then his teeth were lodged in her flesh while he slammed home and Bowen finally did scream, her voice breaking as the pain and pleasure melded into one. It was excruciating and exquisite all at once. The woman pressed her trapped neck against her lover's teeth, wanting every ounce of abuse that only he could give to her. Only Artorias would ever see her like this. He had spoken to her right before delivering her first taste of ecstasy and Bowen hadn't had time to process his words at that moment. Now that she had acclimated to his movements, she was able to respond, though her voice was broken as the weight atop of her pushed air out of her lungs. "Dovedește-o" she challenged him with a growl, hoping to push him to greater lengths of depravity. Tonight, she was his toy. Anything that he wanted to do to her, he was free to do. He could use her just like the slave that she had been not so long ago.

"The captain and his brother," Bowen spoke with a moan, her body trapped completely beneath his, "They used to take turns." The woman's body was on fire. Her claws dug roughly into the table beneath her and her body quivered as she came close to her first, but definitely not her last, wash of pleasure. "In the captains chamber, just like this." Bowen called out as a particularly sensitive area was given attention. "They used to call me Little Bird," she spoke through a gasp as her body passed that threshold of pleasure for the first time that evening. Telling Artorias the sordid details of the torture and abuse she'd been subject to felt so dirty, so... taboo... It felt amazing.

---Uh...Fade?---

"Bowen" | "Carpathian"

Despite the feral, frantic states both he and Bowen were in, Artorias remained cognizant throughout the entire act of mating his sister like they were wild animals. Every impassioned cry he was able to pull from her was met with an equally urgent response from the dire brute, whose groans and grunts and snarls of pleasure and lust blended with hers in the stillness of the empty ship. Their call and response of passion to one another became a lustful chorus that echoed around the captain's chambers and no doubt the rest of the cavern beyond. He didn't care though. Artorias wanted the world to hear him as he fucked Bowen absolutely silly. He wanted everyone to hear him claim her and know that Bowen Carpathius belonged to him. He didn't care about her other lover, the one she claimed as her first in her heart. Haiku would never have her the way he had her. He was the alpha male here, and Bowen was his for all time.

During their frenetic coupling, Bowen had challenged him to prove that she belonged to him. Artorias responded by squeezing his jaws tighter around the back of Bowen's neck. His little caramel and cream sister then became the first wolf to be subjected to his mutated teeth and jaws, the sharper points breaking through tender skin easily as stronger jaws squeezed the flesh and fur in his mouth. Had his weight not been pinning Bowen to the table, the force of his pistoning hips surely would have slid her back and forth. Art's claws tore up the old map and scratched deep grooves into the wooden table, forever marking it in their lecherous fit. His other paw around her waist and hip did the same, raking through silky fur to grab and grope at whatever parts of her he could reach, leaving trailing marks around her body wherever he gripped his lover. Artorias had never fully let himself go on anyone before, far too afraid to hurt them, but Bowen had pushed him past the point of no return. The leash had been taken off, and now he was that frenzied wolf that had nearly killed a fae back on Fenmyre. There was no doubt that if he had followed Chimera's suggestion and fucked the slave that night in the autumn, this would have been what he was like. Now Bowen got to endure and enjoy everything the Carpathian alpha had to release on her.

With Bowen being so small, it was easy for him to smother her with his massive frame, leaving no parts of her untouched—inside and out. He paid close attention to the movements and actions that got the best sounds and reactions from her, which tricks pushed her over the edge and made her come undone with screams of ecstasy, committing them to memory and focusing on them as he virtually used Bowen for his own pleasure. At some point she began to tell him all the sordid tales of debased acts that her captain and his brother had done to her when she had been their slave. The stories pricked the dark brute's obsidian ears, pupils shrinking to pinpricks while he snarled in response—not in anger, but in competitive lust. He knew of Bowen's time with the pirates. She'd told him bits and pieces of what she'd endured, but never in such detail like this. It incensed the brute and made him want to outperform those wolves that had left the lasting memories in his sister's mind. He wanted her to remember him every time she thought of a ship and the captain's quarters, and he would work hard to make it so.

Bowen's heated words poured gasoline onto the fire in his belly, and Artorias responded by shifting his jaws to grasp the little russet fae by the base of her skull, right where her neck and head met. He forced her head down to the table, pinning her solidly while he had his way with her. Pink tongue rolled slowly against her flesh in his jaws, savoring the taste of her skin while amber eyes glazed over and rolled back into his head, deep, muffled groans slipping from the alpha's mouth as he pushed himself over the edge with Bowen clutched tight in his grasp. When he hit his peak for the first time that night, Artorias wrapped his free foreleg around Bowen's chest, digging his claws into her while he clutched her around her front and by her waist, keeping her body pulled tight as his body roiled and quivered in the highest form of pleasure and passion. Growls and groans of pleasure and satisfaction were muffled by her scruff in his maw, but it did little to stop the enraptured brute from releasing them for his audibly fixated lover.

When the moment had passed and Artorias began to recover, he gradually released Bowen's neck from his grasp, breathing hard and panting for breath. He was far from done with her thought. The room still flooded with her pheromone-laced scent and the primal needs still clenching hard in his gut, Art slid himself off of Bowen's back—and then snatched her featherweight body by the back of her neck and dragged her off of the table, carrying her the way a parent would carry a naughty pup with legs dangling and dragging on the wooden floors. He carried Bowen over to the canopy bed and threw her across the mattress, barely giving her body a chance to settle before he was climbing up onto the bed with her. The dire brute stalked her like a predator, ravenous eyes devouring Bowen's form and everything he'd done to it so far. Oh, but he was far, far from finished with her... Climbing over top of his svelte sister, Artorias rolled Bowen easily to her back and pressed a large paw to her slender throat, holding her down to the mattress like that while he ate up the sight of her beneath him. He growled and bared his teeth, pearly fangs spattered red with stains of her blood where he'd bitten her.

Artorias squeezed his paw, his pads wrapped around Bowen's windpipe to restrict her breathing while sharp claws dug into her throat with dangerous pricks, not enough to cut off her lovely sounds of lustful words, but definitely enough to make it more difficult to breathe. When he'd brutalized the slave on Fenmyre, one of the things he'd done was choke her to the point of passing out, watching her squirm and fight when he lost control, and now he wanted to see Bowen do it for him too. His other paw pressed to her chest, then slid slowly down every curve of her body, trailing her feminine form with claws dragging along her delicate skin. This was all his. She was all his. Every inch of warm skin, lean muscle, and soft fur he touched was his. And he wanted to feel her wrapped around all of him again. He thought back on those pirates again, what they did to her, and what he was going to do to her now. "However they had you before, it'll be nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you," Artorias growled down at Bowen, fiery eyes ablaze with a manic fire of untempered raw passion and desire. He grinned as he watched her, squeezing his paw tighter around her throat while the other drifted lower until he reached his destination between her thighs. He was feeling over every part of her, claiming her with his touch. "No wolf will ever compare again. Not your captain. Not his brother. Not Haiku." Artorias craned his neck down to roll his tongue in a languid lick from beneath Bowen's chin up over her lips and nose, whispering in husky breaths against her mouth, "Imi apartii, Little Bird..."

The dire brute released his grip around the diminutive fae's neck just enough for her to swallow a few breaths while he repositioned his hips behind hers, sliding his paw away from between her legs to hook around one shapely hip. With claws biting into the cushy flesh of her rump, Artorias slammed himself within her with a strong buck of his hips. Hisses of pleasure slipped from between gritted fangs, interwoven between snarls of feral lust. "Tell me what they did. Call me what you would call them." He began to pull Bowen into his motions, working her body against his rolling hips as he manhandled her. He was not gentle with her. He was not careful with her. All the brute could think of was pounding his Bowen silly and outperforming the pirates that had turned her into such a ravenous and skilled lover. He would secure himself as the best lover she had ever had, and they wouldn't be leaving this ship until he was sure he had done just that.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"